In the long history of the NFL draft, there have been many terrific picks made from No. 1 through 32. But at each overall selection, there's one player who stands out above them all.
-by Vinnie Iyer

(Paul Nisely/SN Illustration) (AP Photos)

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No. 1: John Elway, QB, Baltimore Colts, 1983

Elway never played a down for the Colts, as he didn’t want to play for them. That was a boon for the Broncos, who traded for him not long after the draft. The rest is top-five quarterback history. Elway’s career trumped at lot of all-time heavyweights across positions.

Some consider the original LT to be the most ferocious and disruptive defender to ever play the game. If there’s anything close to the value of a franchise quarterback, it’s a pass rusher in a class of his own.

We went “Prime Time” to pick the best cover cornerback in NFL history. If that’s not enough of a Neon Deion light, let’s remember that he also was the most explosive return man the league has ever seen.

Bailey started as a dominant pass defender while in Washington, but the 12-time Pro Bowler will be remembered more as a beloved Bronco. Although Denver just released him, his venerability and respect for him around the league hasn’t wavered.

We round out our top 10 with another dynamic running back. Allen was a modern, sleek versatile back before his time, and stood out as a scoring machine with his 144 total touchdowns.

Best of rest: CB/S Rod Woodson, T/G Ron Mix(Reed Saxon/AP)

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No. 11: Paul Warfield, WR, Cleveland Browns, 1964

Warfield was a big-play threat extraordinaire for the Browns and Miami Dolphins, doing it with a beautiful combination of speed and surehandedness.His trendsetting play gives him the nod over two other top wideouts.

The recent Hall of Fame inductee (2013) is considered one of the most devastating inside pass rushers in league history. He was the linchpin of the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl-winning defense, and every team has been looking to draft someone just like him since.

Best of rest: QB Joe Namath, CB Herb Adderley(Peter Cosgrove/AP)

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No. 13: Bob Lilly, DT/DE, Dallas Cowboys, 1961

Draft day in ’61 turned into Doomsday for Dallas, in the best possible way for their defense. He was the ferocious, sometimes unblockable force in the Cowboys’ overpowering line.

Before he threw down the gavel as an associate justice for the Minnesota Supreme Court, Page hammered quarterbacks and running backs alike as the dominant member of the “Purple People Eaters.”

Best of rest: RB Jim Taylor

(AP Photo)

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No. 16: Jerry Rice, WR, San Francisco 49ers, 1985

The best, most prolific receiver in NFL history would have been a higher pick if he didn’t come out of a small school, Mississippi Valley State. Instead, the 49ers got another gem for their Super Bowl dynasty whose work ethic knew no bounds.

Best of rest: LB/DE Bobby Bell, S Troy Polamalu

(Dan Murphy/AP)

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No. 17: Emmitt Smith, RB, Dallas Cowboys, 1990

Yes, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher, with a yardage total (18, 355) that may never be surpassed, was taken in what amounts to the second half of the first round. He edged out another Cowboys legend from the other side of the ball.

Best of rest: DB Mel Renfro, G Gene Upshaw

(Ron Heflin/AP)

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No. 18: Paul Krause, DB, Washington Redskins, 1964

We made Krause the pick over a famed Redskins receiver because of what he did covering wideouts and reading quarterbacks. The Iowa product still holds the NFL record with his 81 career inceptions.

We’re just fine with putting the “John Wayne of football” here, pardners. Youngblood had a special combination of athleticism and toughness, as a broken leg couldn’t even force him out of action. He did everything well, and did it for 201 consecutive games.

Best of rest: T Forrest Gregg, OLB Tamba Hali, S Steve Atwater

(Doug Pizac/AP)

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No. 21: Randy Moss, WR, Minnesota Vikings, 1998

Old-schoolers may lean toward the grace of the runner-up here, but Moss, who will be in the Hall of Fame soon, was the example of teams whiffing on a perceived character concern. His all-out size and speed shouldn’t have had him drop his far. He lived it up by thriving against the team that should have taken him: Dallas.

Best of rest: WR Lynn Swann, DT Vince Wilfork, C Alex Mack

(Tom Olmscheid/AP)

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No. 22: Andre Rison, WR, Indianapolis Colts, 1989

Given there’s not much punch at this spot, “Bad Moon” rises above for the nod. He spent only one year with the Colts, who made the ill-fated decision to make the trade with the Falcons to draft Jeff George No. 1 overall in 1990.

As the Ravens’ ace general manager, Newsome has made plenty of great draft decisions (see Joe Flacco) and has the Super Bowl ring to prove it. As a player, he was a terrific durable receiver for the team that later became the Ravens.

Best of rest: P Ray Guy, T Bruce Armstrong, CB Antoine Winfield

(AP Photo)

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No. 24: Ed Reed, S, Baltimore Ravens, 2002

Retirement is just around the corner for Reed, but he got his long-awaiting championship before leaving Baltimore in 2013. His knack for making the big play at the right time was incredible as one of the best ballhawks to play in the league. He might have some competition soon from the best current quarterback in the game.

His last name as appropriate, because he was built like a fourth of Mount Rushmore as a 6-5, 375-pound nose tackle. The four-time space-eating Pro Bowler who played for seven teams enjoyed his best seasons in Buffalo before helping New England win a Super Bowl.

Best of rest: WR Stanley Morgan, WR Boyd Dowler
(Kevin Rivoli/AP)

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No. 26: Ray Lewis, ILB, Baltimore Ravens, 1996

The Ravens are planning to immortalize Lewis with a statue in front of their stadium. They should remind themselves how lucky they were to get the fearsome long-time heart and soul of their defense with such a low first-rounder.

He punctuated the famed ’83 QB draft by going a whopping 26 picks after John Elway. Although Marino didn’t finish with a ring, he did just about everything else with his rifle arm straight out of the cradle of quarterbacks (Western Pennsylvania).

Best of rest: WR Roddy White, DB Devin McCourty, RB Larry Johnson

(AP Photo)

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No. 28: Darrell Green, DB, Washington Redskins, 1983

World-class speed meets pure class. Green was a steal out of Texas A&M-Kingsville, as he never seemed to slow down throughout his long, dignified career as a cover man. Fun fact: Green also wore No 28 in his 20 seasons as a Redskin.

Best of rest: OLB Derrick Brooks, T Joe Staley

(Pete Wright/AP)

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No. 29: Fran Tarkenton, QB, Minnesota Vikings, 1961

It’s appropriate he co-hosted “That’s Incredible!” after his playing days because his ability to make big plays off mad scrambles was the wow factor in his Hall of Fame career. Leading the Vikings to three NFC titles at 6-0, 190 he is the throwback prototype for undersized athletic passers.

Best of rest: LB Dave Wilcox, OL Steve Wisniewski, LB Chris Spielman

(AP Photo)

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No. 30: Sam Huff, LB, New York Giants, 1956

The Giants got the hard-tackling backbone of their defense with what was then a third-round pick. He helped them win the league championship two years later.

Best of rest: WR Reggie Wayne, DE Muhammad Wilkerson

(AP Photo)

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No. 31: Tommy McDonald, WR/RB, Philadelphia Eagles, 1957

The six-time Pro Bowler scored 84 career touchdowns as a versatile, explosive playmaker who would fit right in with modern offenses such as Chip Kelly’s in Philadelphia.

Best of rest: DT/G Curley Culp

(Sam Myers/AP)

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No. 32: Drew Brees, QB, San Diego Chargers, 2001

The Chargers passed on the opportunity to take Michael Vick No. 1 overall, instead trading down for the combination of LaDanian Tomlinson and Brees with the first pick of the second round. The New Orleans Saints, however, have better reaped the benefits of Brees’ size-defying prolific passing (see the ring).